Leonardo DiCaprio Issued a Plea to Save Endangered Porpoise, and Mexico’s President Took Notice

Leonardo DiCaprio is well known for his activism and often speaks out about issues like climate change and protecting the environment. Not surprisingly, the Oscar-winning actor recently leveraged his star power to call attention to another important crusade via social media.

DiCaprio issued a plea on Twitter and Instagram, writing: “The smallest member of the porpoise family is the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Unsustainable and illegal fishing practices have caused a dramatic decline in the vaquita’s population. Fewer than 30 vaquita may be left in the wild and without immediate action, they face imminent extinction. Join me and @World_Wildlife and let President Peña Nieto of Mexico know that we demand action to protect the vaquita today.”

The rare mammal lives in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California, and Leo encouraged his followers to sign a petition asking Mexico’s president to take action to protect the vaquita porpoise from extinction.

DiCaprio’s plea clearly worked, because Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto personally responded with a series of tweets in English defending his country’s efforts to protect the vaquita, writing: “Mexico has focused all its efforts to prevent the extinction of this species.”

Peña Nieto also noted, “Since February 2015, we have eliminated one of its main causes of death: the shrimp and scale fishery, establishing a two-year ban on the area” and pointed to his administration’s deployment of “more than 300 marines, 15 boats and unmanned aircraft systems watching over this area.”

However, the Mexican president also admitted, “Mexico’s government is making a major effort, doing what should have been done decades ago to save the Vaquita Marina.”

In other entertainment news, happy early Mother’s Day to those single celebrity moms: